It's fall festival time in the cityArea residents are urged to season their chili pots, practice their horseshoe toss and get ready for Main Street Russellville’s 23rd annual Downtown Fall Festival and Chili Cookoff. The event will take place throughout the streets of Russellville's Downtown Historic District from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 25. Registration is open for the chili cookoff as well as the arts and crafts, political, commercial food and nonprofit booths. Activities...

Dardanelle to close multiple alleys, streetsDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle City Council approved an ordinance to close two alleys and two streets during its meeting on Tuesday. After a public hearing, the ordinance was approved three times, and the aldermen voted to vacate and abandon the alleys and streets in a section of the Adams-Catlett's Addition. City Attorney Ken Helton said the Adams-Catlett's Addition is between 5th Street and Quay Street. "It has traditionally had platted streets...

News Briefs (Oct. 8, 2014)American Legion singing The American Legion country singing will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at the American Legion Hut. The Arkansas Country Express with Jack George, Pud Maggard, David Bocksnic, Bill Rowlette, Bobby Maggard and Lannie Yates will be the feature band. Cattlemen’s Association meeting The Pope County Cattlemen’s Association will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Russellville First Assembly of God fellowship hall for the annual busin...

Billingsley Smith wins runoffDOVER — Angie Billingsley Smith will join the Dover Board of Education after defeating Shawn Bates in a runoff election Tuesday. Billingsley Smith received 224 votes, which was a little more than 58 percent, while Bates received nearly 42 percent with 161 votes. "I'm very excited," Billingsley Smith said. "I look forward to bringing positive change and growth." A total of 386 votes were cast Tuesday, with one under vote. Billingsley Smith rece...

ATU investigates threatsA misunderstanding gave some Arkansas Tech University (ATU) students a scare Monday evening. A bomb threat was sent via email to an ATU athletic coach Monday that threatened the Chartwells Women's Sports Complex, which was immediately evacuated and searched, according to an update on campus security email sent to students on Tuesday. Concern spread as students evacuated from the sports complex returned to their residence halls and told staff m...

Arkansas awarded Suicide Prevention GrantLITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) has received notice that the state is one of 26 states and tribes awarded a Garrett Lee Smith State and Tribal Suicide Prevention Grant. The grant is managed by the Suicide Prevention Branch within the Center for Mental Health Services in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The funding is expected to total $3,680,000 over five years. “Suicide is a heartbreaking pu...

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Arkansas Department of HealthThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

CenturyLink to connect teachers with technology by offering $20,000 in grants in ArkansasCenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) is connecting teachers with technology for the classroom. The CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation’s Teachers and Technology grant program opened its application process Oct. 1 for teachers in CenturyLink’s local service areas who want to innovatively implement technology in their classrooms to increase student achievement. Full-time PreK-12 classroom teachers in public or private schools in CenturyLink resid...

Mistletoe Market dates announcedThe seventh-annual Mistletoe Market Shop for a Cause event is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 7-8 at the L.V. Williamson Boys and Girls Club in Russellville. The event will offer an array of merchant gift items under one roof with proceeds benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of the Arkansas River Valley. For the past six years, the Mistletoe Market has been a successful event, in which merchants, shoppers and the Boys and Girls Club end up bi...

Lake Dardanelle State Park Eagle ToursLake Dardanelle State Park is proud to offer free winter lake cruises for the best chance of seeing our national symbol, the American Bald Eagle. Many other spectacular birds will be in the area for viewing including American White Pelicans, ducks and Snow Geese. Eagle tours will be offered November through February. In an effort to accommodate as many people as possible for our tours we will be taking reservations this year. Find out dates an...

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Lake Dardanelle State ParkThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Autumn in Arkansas Event Oct. 18Days are getting shorter and nights are getting cooler. The leaves are bright with color and plenty of wildlife can be seen taking advantage of the autumn harvest to prepare for migration or hibernation. Come out to Lake Dardanelle State Park to explore what makes this time of the year so special. All ages are welcome to join us for some fun fall festivities. We will offer a kayak tour to enjoy the autumn colors surrounding the lake. There wil...

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Lake Dardanelle State ParkThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

53 pounds of pot seized in Pope CountyLONDON — The Arkansas State Police (ASP) arrested a California man Saturday after a K-9 unit alerted officers to the presence of illegal drugs inside a vehicle he was driving eastbound on Interstate 40. The trooper reported an odor of marijuana inside a 2010 Kia Forte he stopped around 11:50 a.m. The driver, Craig Watts, was "very nervous," according to a police report. After Watts, 25, denied the trooper permission to search the vehicle, an A...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Monday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear Nov. 3 in Circuit Court. • Savanna Veale, 21, theft of property — $10,000. Around 11:23 a.m. Saturday, Veale was leading a horse without a saddle along Crow Mountain Road, according to a police report. Veale reportedly told officers the horse ...

Dover seat decided TuesdayDOVER — The five-year term on the Dover Board of Education will be decided during Tuesday's runoff election. Michael Joe Hemmer announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election to the seat after serving five years on the board. During the annual school board election Sept. 16, Angie Billingsley Smith and Shawn Bates emerged from a pool of five candidates as the top vote getters, sending them to a runoff election. Billingsley Smith net...

News Briefs (Oct. 7, 2014)Election Commission meeting Wednesday The Pope County Election Commissioners will meet at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Election Headquarters, 1509 E. Main St., Suite 7 in Russellville. No driving test Thursday No driving tests will be given during the afternoon on Thursday at the Hughes Center in Russellville. For more information, contact Arkansas State Police Headquarters Troop J at (479) 754-3096. Logic and accuracy testing this week The Pope Cou...

SAWUA members still await refundsATKINS — Nearly five months after voting to dissolve the Southwest Atkins Water Users Association (SAWUA) and merge with the city of Atkins, association members are still waiting for approximately $350,000 left to be divided among them. Deciding how to divide the funds has been a contentious debate that led to the Arkansas Attorney General’s (AG) Office and then to the association board filing a lawsuit against founding member Gary Duvall and ...

Quorum Court approves funding itemsThe Pope County Quorum Court approved the appropriation of $171,511, including $54,210 in grant funds, during its regular meeting Thursday night. Three ordinances were adopted 12-0 by justices of the peace. The first, $40,450 appropriated $150 from the General Fund for the Agri Extension and $40,000 for the Pope County Election Commission to cover costs for the Nov. 4 general election. Another ordinance appropriated the $54,210 from General Im...